LOCAL AND GENERAL

Chronicle (Levin), 12 August 1946, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Old Oak Tree Removed An old oak tree which stood on the former Myers estate, off Symonds Street, Auckland, for 70 years, was felled this week and has been cut up for milling and for firewood. jThe tree, which stood about 50ft I high, had become a nuisance. It. is estimated that it will produce about 2000 super feet of timber. which will be used for furniture. There will also be four or five tons of firewood. Aid to NavigatcTrs A new chart, called "the world on azimuthal projection," 'iyhich for the first time accurately shows the exact bearing and shortest distance from London of any place in the world, has been issued by the Admiralty's hydrographic department for the needs of radio engineers, meteorologists and air navii gators. The simple ruling of a jstraight line from London to any point shows the shortest route to that point. ; High-Level Hut* j As part of a scheme for the.control of wild animal pests, prefabricated huts to house field workers and hunters of the Internal Affairs 'Department have been • successf uliy j dropped by aircraft in high, I inaccessable regions. Huts will I eventually be dropped in all remote I i mountain areas infested with deer and other pests and the servicing of parties with provisions and equipment will be carried out by air. Lightning Strikes Tree Through a tree being struck by lightning and falling across the power lines, considerable damage i was done to radio sets and household electrical equipment in a section of the Hawera Borough last week. The disruption caused a doubling up of the voltage. Transformers were blown or burnt out in a number of radio sets while kettles, jugs and immersion heaters were also burnt out. A fairly wide area was affected, but the normal service was soon restored. New Railway Wagons The Minister of Railways (Mr. R. Semple) has announced that contracts have been let to British firms for the construction of 3000 L.A. wagons for use in New Zealand. They will be shipped completely knocked down and will be assembled in the railway workshops in the Dominion, at approximately 350 vehicles per month. The first consignment was expected to be in service next May and the whole order completed early in 1948. The Minister explained that the department's workshops were fully occupied with essential work and the new vehicles were urgently needed. "Wonders Will Never Ceasew "This was a 1937 model car, and you contemplate spending £250 to repair it!" said Mr. Justice Cornish incredulously in the Wanganui Supreme Court, when a motor engineer said it was proposed to spend that sum on a 10 h.p. English car damaged in a collision with " a lorry." Witness: Yes, your Honour. That will restore it to its former condition. His Honour: You will spend £250 orf it? Wonders will never cease. And what would a new car, if it were avaiiable, sell at? Witness: £650, your Honour. We have sold 10 or 12 of them. His

Honour: And what would you say a second-hand car would be worth. of this kind, at the time of the accident. Witness: Between £400 and £500. It was fuf-her explained that the car had tra\-lled between 60,000 and 70,000 miles and the engine had not been rebored. Gas Saves Woman's Life To save a woman's life Auckland's gas supply was turned on for three minutes during the gas economy restriction period on Friday. An urgent appeal for gas to be made avaiiable for three minutes to perform a blood test on a woman patient, who had been admitted in a dying condition, was made by telephone to the Auckland Gas Company, who immediatfely turned on the supply to allow the experiment to be made. The test was successful and the patient rallied under subsequent treatment. ' The hospital bacteriologist said the test was designed to estimate the nitrogen content in the patient's blood, and electricity was useless. Only an intense gas flame produced sufflcient h'eat to bring about the "necessary digestion of the protein in .the blood by acids.